Letter to my family

How are you doing? I've been sick with the flu since Monday. Feeling quite a bit better today, though.

Since I talked to you last weekend, this letter has been on my mind. I'm going to keep it really short, will you do me the courtesy of reading it? I fully expect you to laugh your ass off, but I feel I must clarify my situation here.

We have worked very hard here for the last year to prepare ourselves for major, long term disturbances (lasting at least 2 years) in the economy. My plans include provisions for Pam and myself, my two kids, Dad and Mom, and two extra slots.

Those extra slots are filled by Brian's lady friend and her little girl. I do not have supplies to take anyone else in.

Bluntly, if we in ANY way figure into plans of yours as a place to seek refuge (as you put it, sleeping in the shed), I need to know. I also need to have a small amount of money to spend on basic grains and soy to keep you fed.

How much? For $60.00 per person, I can buy enough of that type of food to feed one person for 18 months. This is not high grade, triple cleaned grain, it is straight off of the harvester (except for soy meal, which is ground). If nothing happens, I feed it to my animals.

I've taken big risks on this, which I felt were justified to protect my family. I won't risk my kids to take in anyone, even blood kin, who have chosen not to prepare. Enough said.

Let's all hope that this time next year, you can razz me unmercifully about this. I would far rather spend many years trying to live this whole thing down, especially this letter, than be correct.

Answers

ARGHHH!!! 5:30 AM formatting problems!!! Chuck, if you see this,
you could delete that first abomination.

Sorry, folks, try again.

Dear Jennifer:

How are you doing? I've been sick with the flu since Monday.
Feeling quite a bit better today, though.

Since I talked to you last weekend, this letter has been on my mind.
I'm going to keep it really short, will you do me the courtesy of
reading it? I fully expect you to laugh your ass off, but I feel I
must clarify my situation here.

We have worked very hard here for the last year to prepare ourselves
for major, long term disturbances (lasting at least 2 years) in the
economy. My plans include provisions for Pam and myself, my two
kids, Dad and Mom, and two extra slots.

Those extra slots are filled by Brian's lady friend and her little
girl. I do not have supplies to take anyone else in.

Bluntly, if we in ANY way figure into plans of yours as a place to
seek refuge (as you put it, sleeping in the shed), I need to know. I
also need to have a small amount of money to spend on basic grains
and soy to keep you fed.

How much? For $60.00 per person, I can buy enough of that type of
food to feed one person for 18 months. This is not high grade,
triple cleaned grain, it is straight off of the harvester (except for
soy meal, which is ground). If nothing happens, I feed it to my
animals.

I've taken big risks on this, which I felt were justified to protect
my family. I won't risk my kids to take in anyone, even blood kin,
who have chosen not to prepare. Enough said.

Let's all hope that this time next year, you can razz me unmercifully
about this. I would far rather spend many years trying to live this
whole thing down, especially this letter, than be correct.

Mushroom, for whatever it's worth, that's a pretty cool line you wrote that many of us can relate to....

"I would far rather spend many years trying to live this whole thing down, especially this letter, than
be correct."

I believe it was Voltaire who said that language is a very difficult thing to put into words. You've
done it well because they issue from the heart. I hope your sister hears them.

There are some on this board who are so eager and willing to play fast-n-loose with the well-being of
their fellow citizens in the interest of being polly "right." They traffick in the most dubious of
currencies, being mockery and ridicule. If that isn't the height unutterable conceit, I don't know what
is. As if preps were a sin.

I can get animal grade grain (untreated) for less than $3.00 per 50
pounds here. $10.00 per 50 pounds for soy meal.

So, you can see that I can have 500 pounds or more of grain products
per person (and there are a total of 6 kids between two of the
sisters' families). Easily a years, probably 2 years supply of basic
foodstuffs. Add a garden and some livestock, and we would be in good
shape.

However, divide what I have now by 20 people, and I don't make it to
first harvest. And I think we will be looking at things that way,
next few years.

mushroom - please let us know what kind of response you get to your
letters. I put out similar, uh, inquiries, to my sisters who live in
big cities several months ago... trying to find out if they had any
plans to be out of the cities on rollover, and if so and they planned
to come here, what supplies they planned on bringing with them to
contribute. It wasn't quite worded as boldly as yours but the essence
was the same. No response. It was at about the time, in March, that
the Senate came out with a particularly gloomy document, and the Dept.
of Commerce did a report on how interconnected this global economy is,
and a few other gloomy reports. The effect on me was to just give up
my campaign to email warnings and reports to family. I wish them all
the best, but I just can't keep nagging them about this. I have no
idea just how much preps they have done. We still talk on other
family matters, but almost never discuss Y2K (an occassional URL
emailed is about it).

My guess is that if relatives who are DWGI read your letter or got
similar conversations by phone, they would tend to think "F**k you!!",
and it would reinforce their (possible) opinion that you have gone off
the deep end and the last place they would want to be on rollover is
your place. [that's probably how mine think of me] I doubt it would
have the probable intended reaction of spurring them (finally) into
action and into making serious plans. The happy-face reports from
Koskinen et. al. are flying thicker than ever. We doubters are the
lunatic fringe that the FBI is warning everyone about.

Mushroom, I think your letter was a great idea. It will show them
how very serious you are and MAYBE make them think twice before
showing up at your doorstep just for some grain. Maybe a miracle
will occur and they will think a bit more on prepping for themselves
just to "show you they don't need your grain." Anyway, your idea was
to show them that you mean business and either they pay up and show
up or not. If we choose to help people, we are entitled to know
whether they are thinking of us, their family, as their "just in
case" bug-outs. (If they even give it a second thought). So this
ought to start them thinking. I know so many of us are on our last
dollar for prepping. The least they could do is buy some insurance.

A little known tidbit about consuming grains when there is no way to
process into the normal palatable fair...is to soak them in pure
water and then let them sprout. Wheat and soybeans can be eaten
sprouted and will give far more nutrition than cooking them, because
it leaves the live enzymes intact.

Sounds short and to the point. It is clear. If they can't part with
$60 to bet on the down side then what? Can you barter with the
farmers to get in what you need for them (if you are short on cash)
if they don't take your offer??? I can't imagine that you would not
feed them.

Also I think rabbits should be on your livestock list. You'll need
alfalfa hay for them, but they don;t require much food and they
'multiply like rabbits'. A small commitment plus you get the pelts to
make fur liners with. Just need some Alum and salt to cure the pelts.

My parents have helped, even while sometimes being a bit mocking.
They have a place. The rest, well, let me tell it to you this way.
One sister and brother together make about 3 times what my wife and I
do. No fuss, good for them. They have 3 children, all 14 or
younger.

Neither of them carries any life insurance beyond what their
companies provide them.

But they have money for hot tubs and cruises.

I'm not a Christian, but the Bible contains much wisdom. Does it not
say something, somewhere, about reaping that which you sow?

I just felt the need to put my position firmly on record. I'm not
and never have been much afraid to speak my mind and take the
consequences.

I may have to resort to a letter like that myself. Well worded, Mush.
Unfortunately, for some of us, I don't think even bold words will
work. The family will still show up on the doorstep thinking that
"They won't REALLY close the door on me. How can they actually do that
to my children, their own blood." They will do everything possible to
make us feel guilty about not taking them in, regardless of the
forewarning. Best of luck to you!

Good for you! ;-). Believe me I know how hard it is to try and
convice those you love - to prepare. My mom is preparing, finally -
although she does not GI. I could not convince her -- soooooo, I
told her that if she really loved me, she would prepare.